The competition continues to be fierce on World of Dance with the third and final round of qualifiers! Kicking it off for judges Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and Ne-Yo, MKAM took the stage in metallic purple jackets. The Junior team delivered a strong hip-hop routine that was crisp and synchronized. The judges enjoyed the cleanliness, however they said the choreography needs to be more next level, next time, and they can go far. MKAM received an 88 from Ne-Yo, an 89 from J.Lo and a 92 from Derek, giving them an 89.7 and sending them to Duels!
Denise and Josh, two young dancers from Toronto, have been dancing together for four years and decided to put their own choreography out there for the first time. The emotional routine had the judges hooked from the beginning. Dancing to a Dermot Kennedy song, Denise and Josh filled the performance with quiet moments paired with fierce moves. The judges gave them a combined 91 and looked forward to seeing them again at the Duels! These two will definitely be major competitors!
Norway’s Main Guys were next and were first a little too chill when the walked on the stage. Then, they served absolute “stank,” as Jennifer would say, with broken leg moves, popping, and tricks. They were on fire! “If you’re trying to put Norway on the map, keep doing that, you’re going to go far!” J.Lo complimented. Ne-Yo and J.Lo gave the guys an 89 and Derek gave them a 91, totaling 89.7!
Kozmic Edge features flamenco soloist Victoria from Season 2 who is back with a hip-hop crew! The New Jersey based crew delivered a strong routine that wasn’t exactly as clean or as challenging as what we’ve seen from the other groups. At one point, one of the dancers fell out of his flip. The judges were excited to see Victoria but added that it did miss the intricate choreography of a group that has been together for a long time. They received an 83, but A for effort!
Unity LA, a contemporary team from LA, also has two returning members — Zack and Ashley! Recall, the pair were dancers on Derek Hough’s tour. Now, in a group, the duo found strength in numbers and absolutely were incredible. With quick choreography, strong lifts and a unique choreographer, Unity LA was one of the best groups we have seen so far and each judge was on their feet cheering! “Welcome to World Of Dance Season 3!” Ne-Yo cheered. “It was out of this world!” J.Lo added. Derek gave Unity LA a 95, J.Lo a 94 and Ne-Yo a 97! WOW! The highest score we’ve seen so far this season!
The Battle Droids Crew from Belgium are a group of Beat Boys that impressed the ladies backstage at the competition before even taking the stage! In their red tracks suits, the guys had their stank faces on and were hyped. They dropped one member of their team in the first lift of the routine, but seemingly made up for it with their epic tricks and other moves — like spinning in slow motion on their head! While they missed that beginning lift, Derek had them recreate it, and we’ll give them props for that! The Battle Droids Crew got an 85 from Ne-Yo, an 87 from J.Lo and an 89 from Derek, sending them to Duels!
The next group was Intention from a small town in Oklahoma and after gushing over Battle Droids Crew, they took the stage! The ladies, rocking suspenders, danced to “Piano Man,” with jazzy choreography. While their lifts were a little sloppy, the ladies were very synchronized with their moves, especially their roll-offs in the beginning. Intention received over an 85 and will be in the Duels!
Derek Piquette, 21, is a contemporary dancer, who currently is struggling with hip issues and needs a double hip replacement, which will essentially end his career. World Of Dance is the final competition he’ll be in before his surgery. Dancing to James Blake, Derek gave off some serious Michael Dameski vibes with her high jumps and flips. The 21-year-old’s emotional routine was clearly a judges favorite as he truly looked like he was floating in the air as he danced. The judges loved the performance, but wanted a bit more creativity next time from Derek! He received a 90 from Ne-Yo, a 91 from Derek and a 93 from J.Lo, giving Derek another opportunity to dance on the world’s biggest stage!
Crump duo Audrey and Mia — two sweet faced girls — got J.Lo’s level of stanky on the dance floor in their pink suits. “It looked like you guys belonged on the Disney Channel and then you crumped!” J.Lo said. The ladies moved on the Duels and we’re excited to see more!
Another duo, House of Tap, took the stage to try to beat the World Of Dance tap drought. The girls actually delivered a swaggy, hip-hop inspired tap that was energetic and even, at times, emotional! Ne-Yo had his typical struggle with tappers, because of the musicality of it all, but J.Lo and Derek loved it. The ladies barely made it through with an 85.7!
DD Flection of Thailand were the World Of Dance champions from their country, and now they’re coming for another title! The couple absolutely showed why they won the Thailand-based competition because they were absolutely stunning, from their lifts to jumps. There were a few stumbles here and there, but it was truly gorgeous! DD Flection will have another chance at winning the competition in the US, as they scored a 92!
The all-female hip-hop team Style and Grace from Canada were next up and ready to dominate just in time for International Women’s Day, yaaaas! The ladies started on a tough note, with one member falling out of her first trick, but the rest of the routine was empowering! However, they lacked the challenging factor that other groups definitely have. The judges commented that it definitely missed the sharp hits, but it could have been their nerves. J.Lo gave the ladies an 85, but Derek brought them down with an 83, and Ne-Yo brought them back up with an 87 — they received an 85 total and will go to the Duels!
Contemporary dance group Radiance, that has not done a full performance with all of them together, is the final performance of qualifiers! In their red jumpsuits, the 13 ladies truly radiated with their emotional choreography and pretty, fluid movements. J.Lo wished the ladies had a story to tell with their performance and for the audience to connect to, while Derek added he didn’t think they needed a story. All of the judges loved the routine overall, and sent their final audition of the competition through to the Duels with an 88!
Next week, the fierce World Of Dance Duels kick off on Sunday, March 18 at 8 PM ET!